New Northampton Superintendent Annie Azarloza.
Photo credit: Northampton Public Schools
NORTHAMPTON — New Northampton Superintendent Annie Azarloza knows she is entering a highly engaged district, but that is not something she plans to shy away from.
“People have told me, ‘You’re walking into a highly engaged community,’ and they say that like, ‘be careful,’ and what they don’t know is that’s why I chose Northampton. That’s what I want,” Azarloza told Reminder Publishing. “I love it because I don’t want to be in a community where if I were to — which I am — going to be forming a family and community engagement roundtable, nobody shows up. What’s the fun in that? I want real, authentic engagement. Not performative. Where I’m sitting with you at the table, we’re all at the table, and we’re talking about the future of Northampton. That feels real to me. I’m looking forward to it.”
Azarloza was chosen to become the district’s next Superintendent by the School Committee during an April 30 special meeting. Born and raised in Los Angeles under Cuban parents, Azarloza was an English language learner as a young student. She has a master’s in education from American Intercontinental University and is currently securing her doctorate in education leadership with a focus on health and wellness from American College of Education.
She began her career in education as a teacher in 2005 while living in Florida before moving to Massachusetts with her daughter in 2006. She worked in various teaching and school administrative positions on all three levels of public education over the last 15 years in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. She served as superintendent of schools in Rochester, N.H., during the 2024-25 school year and previously served as interim superintendent of the Stratford, Stark, Northumberland School District in New Hampshire.
“What I learned is that I missed Massachusetts. They not only value innovation; they really, truly expect it. And whereas in New Hampshire, they have great things as well, it’s just very different. I was used to this educational system, and I was happy to come back home,” she said.
In the process of being selected as superintendent of Northampton, Azarloza’s time in Rochester sparked debate among School Committee members due to a recent controversy where the city of Rochester filed a complaint for breach of contract in Strafford County Superior Court following her departure from the district. The city alleged in the complaint that Azarloza violated a settlement agreement by making additional public statements, including comments made during a podcast appearance and on social media, claiming a breach of contract, breach of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing. The city sought injunctive relief, attorney’s fees and costs.
The Rochester School District eventually commissioned a report to investigate the situation and findings, released in April of this year, that cleared Azarloza of the claims. The majority of Northampton committee members who voted for her shared similar sentiments that the report made them comfortable moving forward with her as the district’s next leader. The committee selected Azarloza in a 6-3-1 vote.
Azarloza said she understood and had no problem with the committee members who did not vote for her to take on the role, and added that it just means she has to earn their trust. She said she plans to be as transparent as possible as she now leads the district.
“First, I’ve got to walk the talk. I did a lot of talking in that interview, but now I’ve got to walk the talk. The process for me is building trust and credibility. I said a lot of things in the interview that sounded really shiny and nice, but now I have to put that into practice. And for me, I will have a standing meeting with all of the School Committee members once per month, meet with them individually, and that’s the same agenda with all of them, and that’s a way for me to build a relationship with them,” Azarloza said. “I think hopefully with time — and I think that’s normal for some School Committee members to have another favorite candidate for whatever reason — I’m confident though that they will see that I am not someone that will just keep the doors of the school district open, I intend to move forward collaboratively with the team and with our caregivers.”
Since she started her tenure on July 1, Azarloza said things have been going great. She has begun to connect with the various people who make up the district, from administrators to teachers and staff, to students. She explained she plans to have open lines of communication across the district and welcomes the honesty and directness of the public.
In terms of budgeting, Azarloza said she plans to start the process earlier, in October specifically, using a zero-based and data-driven approach. Her thought process around this comes at a time where the city is preparing for an override vote in fiscal year 2028.
“These are our values, we do everything student-centric and built on equity. And now we say, ‘we’re starting with zero, and you want $10,000 for this? Tell me what the data is showing. What are you going to use it for, and if we use that money for that intent, what is going to be the impact?’” Azarloza explained. “So now we’re really thinking thoughtfully about how we’re utilizing the money. And in our mind, we’re also thinking like we’re not just spending this money, we need to know what is the desired impact of the money that we’re going to utilize.”
Azarloza said she wants to open as many channels of communication as possible to meet the community’s needs and facilitate the goals of the district. She shared that she plans to do that through her own cabinet, monthly forums, an Educator Advisory Council made up of staff across the district, a Superintendent Student Advisory Council with high schoolers and a family and community engagement round table.
“Those are going to be great places for me to learn, what are the needs? You are the people on the ground, the teachers, the students, the custodians, what are you hearing that there’s a need for? Families, what are you hearing at home is the need? And that’s going to inform our budget process because I’m going to bring those conversations to the cabinet table when we’re talking about the budget,” she said. “I just want to make sure that our budget process moving forward is inclusive, collaborative and very transparent, and so I’m looking forward to it and I know that every school district works in a fiscally constrained environment and that’s just a reality, but as long as we’re making decisions that are data driven and are aligned to our values, I think we’ll be OK.”
Aside from budgetary concerns, Azarloza said her main focuses of the future will be transparency, special education, supporting the staff inside of the school buildings, and establishing the district cell phone policy to fight back against the impacts of screen time on students. She added that she plans to present an entry plan about her leaderhsip approach to the School Committee in August, and by December, she hopes to present a dissemination of that entry plan’s findings. But before all that happens, her goal right now is to learn the nuances of the community and find out how to make Northampton the best district possible.
“I’m actually excited for school to start even though it’s summer, but I want to be in the schools. I am a highly visible superintendent,” she said. “They will feel my presence, they will see me often in schools, they will see me at community events. I’m looking forward to starting the school year and just being part of that school community, getting to know our families and our youth.”
